Magical Congress of the United States of America
The Magical Congress of the United States of America '''(shortened to '''MACUSA) was the governing body in charge of American wizarding population throughout the United States of America. It was governed by the President of the United States of America which was appointed in a vote. It was the primary governing body in the United States. About Functions Known wizarding laws Location Governing body Known departments History Early history The existence of the land eventually known as the United States of America was known long ago in the wizarding world. The Native American wizarding community was in touch with the wizarding community of places far away even in the 14th century. The No-Maj community would not have found it until the 17th century, and when they had, the Salem Witch Trials happened. Foundation The Magical Congress of the United States of America was founded in 1693 because of the events of Salem and the foundation of the International Statute of Secrecy. It was modelled on the Wizards' Council in Britain. They came together to found laws for the American wizarding community and many witches and wizards would be elected to found laws and protect the American witches and wizards. They began by putting on trial the Scourers who had betrayed their own kind and caused the Salem Witch Trials. MACUSA executed anyone they convicted of such crimes connected to the event. They also issued international warrants for those who escaped justice, but their No-Maj descendants became harder to hoodwink about the existence of magic, which had a huge impact on the way on the way the American wizarding community was governed. Beginnings Josiah Jackson was elected the first President of the Magical Congress of the United States of America because he was said to be tough enough to cope with the demands of the post-Salem era. He decided first priority was to take on and train Aurors who would volunteer to lay down their life should it ever be needed. The original 12 (of which only two made it to old age) have been given a special place in American history and their descendants continued to be commended centuries later. One of them, Charity Wilkinson became the third President of MACUSA. By 1777, the No-Maj War of Independence was taking place between America and Britain. Many witches and wizards felt they had a duty to their country but others felt they had a higher duty to their own kind and that intervening would place the wizarding community in danger. President Elizabeth McGilliguddy held the "Country or Kind?" debate and then sent a letter to the British Ministry of Magic to ask what they intended to do. The Minister for Magic sent one back, saying they would be "sitting this one out". McGilliguddy simply sent one back saying "mind you do" and the American government also stayed out depending on whether they done the same. Rappaport's Law Unfortunately because of Salem, the United States was never a possible place for communication between the wizarding and No-Maj community. The wizarding governing body had no co-operation with the No-Maj government even though many other Western governments had established such a thing. The International Statute of Secrecy was in place but the suspicion of magic was known throughout the No-Maj community. In 1790, Emily Rappaport made Rappaport's Law which completely separated the wizarding and No-Maj community and forbade witches and wizards from having any kind of connection. It was done became a serious infraction of the International Statute of Secrecy in which a witch had told a No-Maj everything about the American wizarding world and named places leading to a foiled plan to persecute witches and wizards again. Later history By the end of the late 19th century, MACUSA passed a law that stated witches and wizards in America had to have a wand permit. Between 1914 and 1918, American witches and wizards participated in the First World War but it led to no lenience on MACUSA's stance on the subject of wizarding and No-Maj communication. They had strong laws and punishments for any infraction of the International Statute of Secrecy and they became very intolerant of any magical phenomena. By 1920, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was the largest department in MACUSA. They had also founded departments and sub-divisions found only in America and had no counterpart in other countries. In 1926, the Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald went missing even though MACUSA was part of the international witch-hunt to find him. The International Statute of Secrecy was broken in many ways over the next few days by an Obscurus, the New Salem Philantrophic Society and the animals that escaped Newton Scamander's suitcase. Grindelwald had in fact infiltrated MACUSA by taking on the appearance of the Head of the Department of Magical Law, Percival Graves. Scamander later helped MACUSA take Grindelwald into custody but he escaped from MACUSA a few months later. Personnel Known Presidents Aurors Other personnel Notes and sources Category:Wizarding governments